Black and White
by Nini the Electrocuted Sheep
Summary: Pairs of 100-word drabbles, KuroFai in nature, not explicit but all of them implied. The third pair and beyond have SPOILERS. I'll say it again: BIG SPOILERS!
1. Color

Fai's skin is soft, and smooth, and very, very sensitive. Especially on his back – Kurogane likes to think it's his touch that makes Fai shudder and arch, but really he knows that it's because Fai's back is where the tattoo used to be.

And yet, Kurogane loves to caress his back, and watch his eyes flutter closed.

Fai is pale from head to toe, a testimony of a life spent in a cold climate, covered in warm clothing. His hair, too, is a pale blonde in colour.

All is pale but his eyes, which sparkle when he calls Kurogane nicknames.

* * *

Kurogane's skin is broken in some places, marred by mementos of various battles and skirmishes, from his world and from many others. The skin is lighter, smoother, and infinitely more sensitive around the many scars.

Fai cherishes each and every one, memorizing them with long, slender fingers in the darkness.

Kurogane is tan compared to Fai, his skin browned by the sun of his world and many days spent training outdoors. Kurogane is rough and dark and mysterious, and Fai enjoys figuring him out.

But most of all, Fai enjoys the fire in Kurogane's eyes when he calls him nicknames.


	2. Smiles

Fai always smiles. Not everyone can see which smiles are fake and which are real, but Fai keeps an eye on the ones he feels have figured him out. Those could be dangerous to him. Even more so now that he's traveling with regular companions.

Sakura is no threat; she's innocent enough to believe in all his smiles. Mokona knows, but doesn't pry. Syaoran is the same.

But Kurogane... it's Kurogane who gets to Fai. Because Kurogane knows, and sometimes he corners Fai and demands that he stop. He hates Fai's fake smiles. "Smile honestly," he says. Sometimes, Fai does.

* * *

Kurogane smiles in many different ways. Fai once saw him practicing with Sōhi, on a sunny day in one of the calmer worlds they arrived at. Stripped bare to the waist, sweat running off him in rivulets, the ninja had smiled a self-satisfied smirk when he was finished. 

Kurogane often wears a predatory smile, whenever he is engaged in physical combat, or planning a strategic move that will save them all.

Kurogane sometimes smiles tenderly, during quiet, peaceful moments, and Fai knows that he is thinking about his princess, Tomoyo.

And sometimes, when Fai smiles honestly, then Kurogane does too.


	3. Never Forgive

I'll never forgive him for this. He's made everything so complicated. It could have been so simple, for everyone, if he'd just let me die. Now I'm completely dependant on him, and Syaoran's clone is out there with half my magic.

_"If you want to die so badly, I'll kill you myself!"_

I really did wish to die. No more running away. No more false smiles. I wonder, if I were to put it that way, would he understand?

_"Until then_..._ live_._"_

Probably not.

It's funny that Kurogane is supposed to be my 'prey' when honestly, I feel like his.

* * *

He'll probably never forgive me for this. It was selfish of me, I know, to bind him to this cursed sort of life. To bind him to me.

I meant it when I said I'd take responsibility for him. I'll probably have to force him to take my blood; it'd be just like him to be stubborn, to starve himself so that he'll die like he wanted.

I can't stand people like him, people who throw their lives away. And yet, I gave my freedom and the promise of my blood in order to save him. To keep him alive.


	4. Catch Me

_"Jump," he said, his deep voice carrying easily despite the immense height. "I'll catch you."_

_I jumped, closing my eyes against the rush of wind. I landed with an "Oomph!" in his arms. Coloring slightly, I looked up to see him smiling gently._

_"I've got you."_

Fai awoke with a start. He rose shakily from the bed and made his way towards the window. Dawn was breaking outside. He stepped back and stumbled; strong arms caught him.

Kurogane was half-naked, only a towel wrapped around his hips. He didn't smile, but he did say, "I've got you."

And Fai blushed.

* * *

He straightened, laughing nervously. "Thank you, Kuro-sama." To his mortification, his foot caught on the rug he and stumbled again. Kurogane's hand shot out to catch him, and Fai jerked as long fingers wrapped around his arm. He felt dizzy.

"You're weak," the ninja's voice washed over him, not unkind and deadly serious. "When was the last time you fed?"

"A few days ago..." Fai staggered to the bed, where he felt himself being drawn into an embrace. Kurogane sat with his back to the wall, cradling Fai against his chest.

"Drink," he said, offering a carefully-cut wrist.

Fai drank.


	5. Healing

It doesn't disgust him. It just surprised him to learn that vampires exist, and after all the demons he's battled and all the obstacles he's overcome, both on his own in Nihon and across the various dimensions he and the group traveled through, few things surprise him.

Blood is life, whether it runs through his own veins or provides sustenance for someone else. In one of the more technologically-advanced worlds they'd visited, he'd seen people donate their blood to help save others. This is very similar, he feels.

His blood saves Fai. And on uncountable occasions, Fai has saved him.

* * *

They were in Clow Country, sharing a bed in a city caught within a time-loop. As they lay down to sleep, Kurogane flexed his artificial arm with a grimace. It didn't fit, and the mage knew.

Fai began to gently massage his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said, and smiled; a sad, genuine smile. Kurogane reached up to cup his face with his flesh fingers, and for a moment Fai nuzzled into the touch like a cat.

"Your healing magic works," Kurogane whispered. Fai's single eye opened in surprise. "Your smile... helps me heal."

Fai continued to smile through his tears.


	6. Painless

Fai fed every few days, and while they were more at ease with each other now, they weren't yet intimate enough for Kurogane to offer his neck. That left only his right arm. He'd expected it to scar. He'd been cutting at the exact same spot on his wrist, and though it hurt every time, there never remained a mark.

That night, Kurogane kept a close eye on his wrist while Fai drank. He'd never looked before, and he was astonished to see the wound gently and painlessly closing after the mage ran his tongue over it one final time.

* * *

"I'm curious about something," Kurogane said one night. They'd both narrowly escaped fatal blows that day; Fai's wounds healed instantly, but Kurogane wasn't so lucky. He touched the gash in his side and offered a bloody finger to Fai. "Are you hungry?"

"No... but I could always indulge," Fai answered, amused. "Why?"

Kurogane lay down on the bed, beckoning. Fai settled beside him and devoted his attentions to the wound for several minutes.

"I knew it!" Kurogane laughed. "There must be something in your saliva – it doesn't hurt anymore."

"Happy to help," Fai murmured, smiling.

For once, Kurogane smiled back.


	7. Challenge

Fai loves Kurogane's voice. It's deep and rumbling, but at the same time flat and emotionless (anger doesn't count; Kurogane is angry practically by default). Kurogane's voice is warm, but somehow also capable of such coldness that Fai sometimes feels chilled. Regrettably, that coldness has been turned on Fai more and more lately. He often wishes for the return of Kurogane's warmth.

Kurogane's voice used to be reassuring to him – if Kurogane is there, then everything must be all right. But now Kurogane's voice holds a warning, a challenge.

Fai grins secretively. Thanks to Kurogane, challenges don't frighten him anymore.

* * *

Fai is a puzzle. A puzzle with too many interlocking pieces, and some of them are missing, so it's hard to make out the picture. The most confusing thing is that too many pieces seem to fit into the same place, and you never know if you've put in the right one. And if you've accidentally put in a wrong piece, then you'll continue to put in pieces incorrectly, and end up with a jumbled picture that doesn't give you any real information.

Kurogane hates puzzles.

He grins; he likes challenges, though. And Fai may be his biggest challenge yet.


	8. Undone

Kurogane can feel himself becoming undone more easily every time Fai sinks his fangs into his neck.

It's a combination of several things, both physical and psychological. The feeling of lightheadedness as blood leaves his body is a sort of rapture in itself, but Kurogane also relishes the care Fai takes with him; before, during, and after.

Fai likes to pet and caress him before, fingers gentle as they card through his hair or stroke down his back. He will hold Kurogane closely while he drinks, and kiss him slowly after, sharing with him the taste of their joined life.

* * *

Fai can often feel himself unraveling. He's like a great tapestry: every time someone treads on a loose thread, a little more of the pattern is stripped away to expose him.

Mokona does it occasionally, when he feels Fai's loneliness grow sharper; but Mokona means well. Syaoran clumsily catches on threads sometimes, never intentionally, and is always shyly apologetic afterwards. Sakura, cheerful and graceful, is no danger to him in this aspect.

But Kurogane... Kurogane sees the threads – and he pulls them, tugs, _hard_, wanting to unravel him.

And then, after he's seen Fai undone, he'll weave him back together.


	9. No One

Kurogane's weapon of choice will always be a sword. (He used to think only Ginryū would do, but he's grown to love Sōhi.) He is a master swordsman, though he is also proficient in archery, knife-throwing, spear-work, and of course various styles of hand-to-hand combat. Being a ninja of Shirasagi Castle meant he had to be well-rounded.

Tomoyo knows, though, that Kurogane's sharpest weapon is his tongue. With only a few well-chosen words, Kurogane can cut down any opponent faster even than his sword-point, and no-one yet has failed to bleed before him.

No-one, until the slim blonde magician came.

* * *

When it comes to actual physical fighting – when he can no longer dodge and evade attacks – then Fai is best with a staff. It's still a mostly defensive tool, and Fai is hardly an aggressive person, but in a serious battle he can mete out some heavy damage.

When it comes to day-to-day situations, then Fai's best defense is his attitude. His easy smiles, lighthearted voice, happy-go-lucky behavior (even he admits: sometimes he acts like a downright moron) – all of these form a wall than no-one has yet been able to break down.

No-one, until the dark, brooding ninja came.


	10. Idiot

I told him it wouldn't be over with just that conversation. My quiet grilling of him was interrupted, but I fully intended to pick up where we left off, with the addition of physical force if necessary.

I never got to finish that interrogation.

Instead, I got to cradle his head while tremors wracked his body as he went into shock. Some detached part of me wondered if it was the physical pain of losing an eye, or the loss of his magic.

He's an idiot to think we'd be better off without him. We need him.

_I _need him.

* * *

"You idiot."

Kurogane's head smacked to the side as, yet again, Fai hit him. He was in enough pain already, damnit, why did the mage feel the need to add to it? "What now?" he snapped.

Kurogane was slumped on the floor, leaning against the wall; the blonde loomed over him, his hands on his hips. "You're bleeding." It was an accusation, not a question. "I told you to take care of that arm."

Kurogane sighed. "There's no escaping you, you know that?"

"Yes, and that's why you're an idiot!" Fai said cheerfully, and leaned down to clean his arm.


	11. Focus

Kurogane liked to think that he was always focused. After his parents were murdered, he focused on finding their killer, the one who bore the bat crest. Alongside that, ever since becoming a ninja of Shirasahi Castle, he also focused on protecting Tomoyo-hime.

When he was fighting, whether it was a human opponent or something demonic, Kurogane was always focused on winning. On surviving. On becoming stronger. He had something to live for.

Somehow, that now included teaching a brat swordfighting. And protecting another princess. And tolerating a talking meat-bun. And loving a stupid mage.

Kurogane sighed. How things change.

* * *

Fai is a multitasker at heart. He's always doing countless things at once, even if no-one notices and no-one gives him credit for it. In Ceres he'd regularly been weaving spells simultaneously: never quite focusing on one entirely but constantly working on several at the same time. He'd accomplished a surprising amount that way; perhaps he just had a gift.

Now that he is no longer High Wizard of Ceres, however, Fai can allow himself to focus on one thing. He often wonders if it is the right thing to focus on... but Kurogane is so much fun to tease!


	12. Change

Fai entered Kurogane's room without knocking and locked the door behind him. He stood there for several moments, looking intently at Kurogane with one slitted golden eye. For the first time since Fai had changed – _since he had changed Fai_ – Kurogane felt like prey.

The physical aspect of it didn't bother him. He was young and healthy, and his body could easily replenish the blood Fai took. But up until now Fai had never come to him willingly. Kurogane had practically had to force him to drink.

Suddenly, he was no longer the predator.

Kurogane found that he didn't mind.

* * *

It was strange, to suddenly change from _hunted _to_ hunter_. Fai had always been in a disadvantageous position, always with some threat hanging over his head, never fully free of anyone's control.

And now he was supposedly the predator, and Kurogane was his prey?

How ridiculous.

After all, he was still bound to the other man, wholly dependent on him. If Kurogane died, Fai would starve. If Fai died – he hadn't bothered to find out if Kurogane would die too. But he'd probably live, and be glad to be rid of Fai.

Kurogane hit him when Fai voiced that opinion.


	13. Manipulate

Fai is manipulative. No-one would ever accuse him of it, because how could a cheerful, golden creature like him possibly be a cold, calculating bastard? But he was.

With his magic, Fai can manipulate anyone and anything. With spells, Fai can manipulate objects and create illusions. With music, he can manipulate reality, to some extent. With his staff, he can even manipulate nature.

And with his smile, Fai manipulates people.

He isn't proud of it, but it's his only natural talent. Magic comes to him naturally too, but it's hard work harnessing and controlling it. Acting is... so much easier.

* * *

As a ninja, it was only natural that Kurogane learned to manipulate people. Part of a ninja's job is to subtly influence the flow of events sot that things turned out the way he wanted.

Kurogane was not subtle. Kurogane went in with guns blazing – figuratively speaking; usually he didn't even have to draw his sword in order to get results – and intimidated people into doing what he wanted.

Whenever he did draw his sword, however, Kurogane could easily manipulate an opponent on the battlefield, calculating their moves and strategically finding their weak spots and using them.

He never lost.


	14. Violation

Fai had never thought that he'd be the one feeling uncomfortable as he sank sharp fangs into another man's neck and sucked his blood. To be honest, Fai had never thought he'd be drinking another man's blood, period.

But there they were, together on a single-size bed, Fai on top and Kurogane clutching at his arms as the slighter man – vampire, beast, _monster_ – sucked at his lifeblood.

Kurogane kept insisting, after each time, that the sensation wasn't unpleasant, that he didn't mind. Fai believed him. It wasn't so bad for the prey.

Somehow, _he_ always felt violated by the act.

* * *

When Syaoran read his story in the memory book on Rekord World, Kurogane felt rather violated. He was a very private person, and no-one but the Empress, Princess Tomoyo, and Souma knew about his past.

But it wasn't the kid's fault. And after seeing the boy's reaction to his tragic life-story, Kurogane also felt... relieved, in a strange way. He let himself soften, and allowed the others glimpses of himself that normally he wouldn't allow anyone but Tomoyo.

He would never admit it out loud, but he was growing comfortable with his role in the group; something of a father-figure.


	15. Eyes

Kurogane's eyes are not blood-red, like so many people believe upon first meeting him. Most people are probably too afraid to look into Kurogane's eyes to see their proper color.

Fai knows the color _blood-red_; he knows it intimately, and Kurogane's eyes do not resemble that color. _Blood-red_ is bright, almost too bright to his newly sensitive single eye. _Blood-red_ is the color of Fai's memories, his nightmares, the color of death – now, the color of life for him.

Kurogane's eyes are a darker red than blood; _wine-red_. Kurogane often reminds Fai of wine too: smooth and wild and delicious.

* * *

It was ridiculous, how Fai tried to keep their bodily contact minimal while he fed. Kurogane almost felt like rolling his eyes, but with Fai's fangs sunk deep in his neck, his eyes were usually closed. The sensation was a cross between painful and erotic, and Kurogane never quite knew what to make of his feelings when the feeding ended.

Then one time as Fai pulled away, Kurogane boldly licked a trickle of blood from his chin. Fai's eye widened, surprise turning it blue for a fraction of a second, and Kurogane's heart skipped a beat. He'd missed that color.


	16. Relax

Kurogane so very rarely relaxed, that the sensation was nearly foreign to him. Laying aside his sword and armor, loosening his muscles – these were not things a ninja did often. He supposed the sight of him relaxing was as odd to his companions as the idea was to him; and yet there he was, sprawled out on a towel by the edge of a pool, soaking up the sun.

Okay... maybe the relaxation thing wasn't so bad.

Then Fai cartwheeled into the pool, splashing Kurogane with chlorinated water. Kurogane growled as he dove in after him. So much for relaxation...

* * *

Fai never truly relaxes. He may not be a warrior like Kurogane, but life has taught him that it doesn't pay to be careless.

Fai is always aware of everything around him, no matter how carefree and distracted he might seem. His eyes are more often than not closed in a smile, but his senses are actually sharper that way; spiritual energy is easier to feel without sight, which can be tricked by illusions.

Even reclining lazily on a couch or sitting languidly on a tree branch, Fai is all coiled readiness, always ready to either fight – or to flee.


	17. Hesitate

Kurogane never hesitated. He took every chance, used every opportunity. Sometimes he spoke before he thought – a character flaw, really; but he couldn't be bothered to think everything through. In the heat of battle, he needed his wits for survival, not etiquette.

This fearlessness and obstinacy had gotten him quite far in life. When he started his strange journey between different worlds, however, he started hesitating. When faced with the mage, Kurogane's usual technique of intimidation never worked. Fai was simply too cheerful – or too stupid, Kurogane often thought – to be intimidated.

Whenever he was dealing with Fai, Kurogane hesitated.

* * *

It had been several months since Fai had become a vampire – about eight. Only about three since he'd been able to get over his uneasiness and drink directly from Kurogane's neck. Roughly a month since he'd grown used to the act, didn't have to mentally prepare himself beforehand and practically force himself to actually do it.

Kurogane never said or did anything to make Fai feel uncomfortable about it. He faced the situation like he did any obstacle: with fierce determination and that challenging smirk.

It was only when that smirk changed into a gentle smile that Fai stopped hesitating.


	18. Apologize

Sometimes during feedings, when his eyes were already closed and he was just calmly waiting for the sharp prick of teeth at his neck, Kurogane thought he heard a nearly-silent "I'm sorry," being whispered into his shoulder.

At first he wasn't sure. Usually he forgot all about it, too lost in the sensation of those fangs finally piercing his skin. But he caught it one time, feeling Fai form the words against his collarbone more than hearing him speak them.

The next time it happened, he set one hand on Fai's nape before he bit and demanded gently, "Stop apologizing."

* * *

The only occasion Fai had ever heard Kurogane apologize was once when he'd been ill. He'd taken an arrow meant for Kurogane, and while Fai's wounds usually healed within seconds, the arrowhead must have been coated in some poison that his vampire healing abilities were unable to handle immediately.

Kurogane tended to him while the rest searched for the princess's feather. He'd developed a fever as his body tried to overcome the toxin, shivering violently and moaning in his sleep. He woke up once, feeling Kurogane's large warm hand over his cold one, hearing him apologize over and over again.


	19. Names

"Ne, Kuro-tan. Do names have meanings in your language?"

The question took Kurogane so by surprise that he nearly dropped Sōhi. He turned to glare at the mage, who knew to stay back whenever Kurogane was holding a sharp object. But he noticed that Fai wasn't smiling – at least, not his usual carefree, idiotic smile.

Uncharacteristically, he decided to answer. "Yes," he said, and even volunteered: "My name means 'black steel'."

Fai hummed. "That suits you, Kuro-sama."

"What about you? Does your name have a meaning?"

"Ye–no." The idiotic smile was back. "No meaning. At least, not for me."

* * *

Kurogane knows he's a hypocrite to criticize Fai's use of nicknames when he never calls anyone by their proper name himself. Really, he's even worse than Fai, calling Syaoran 'kid' and Sakura 'princess' and Mokona 'meat-bun'.

And Fai – well, Kurogane has quite a few names for Fai, now that he thinks about it. 'Mage', 'idiot' and 'bastard' are all viable options; sometimes even 'oi, you' is enough. Actually, Fai doesn't need Kurogane to call him; he usually just comes on his own.

Sometimes Kurogane thinks that, ever since he discarded his own childhood name, names lost their meanings to him.


	20. Music

The feather on this world was used in a game of chance at a local festival. Fai saw through the gypsy witch's spell easily and clued Syaoran in. Together they solved the puzzle and won a small sum of money besides the feather.

They split the money between them. Syaoran, Sakura and Mokona wandered off through the carnival to see jugglers and acrobats and eat candy-floss and popcorn. Fai dragged Kurogane to one of the nearby tents, where a girl sat strumming a guitar.

Without Mokona they couldn't understand the words, but still the music moved them both to tears.

* * *

Kurogane perceived music a bit differently from other people. He enjoyed normal music, but usually he _felt_ it, in other ways. He felt the music whenever he was wielding Ginryū or Sōhi, when his arms and legs moved to a beat pumping somewhere between his heart and his belly.

He saw it in the clean, graceful melody of young princesses like Tomoyo-hime and Sakura, and he began to understand Syaoran's distinctive type of music when he'd taught the boy.

He also knew Fai's music. It wasn't a tune he could ever hope to copy, but it captivated him every time.


End file.
